The Road not taken
by Loptr
Summary: Six years after the founding of the Federation and the parting ways of the crew of Enterprise, a chance encounter at a gala sees them together again. A lot has changed but not John’s feelings for T’pol. [One shot ATp]


The road not taken

Estellio

Rating: PG  
Summary: Six years after the founding of the Federation and the parting ways of the crew of Enterprise, a chance encounter at a gala sees them together again. A lot has changed but not John's feelings for T'pol.

A/N: This title is taken from a poem I REALLY REALLY hate and had to do in English. I really don't like this poem AT ALL! Not that the poet is bad it's just my English teacher brutalised it to the point of no return. Like Pride and Prejudice. I can't even look at a Colin Firth movie anymore (And he's so handsome too. What a loss) Anyway, here it is, it's Archer / T'pol one shot,with some Hoshi / Reed thrown in for good measure and a little bit of Trip bashing. Okay, a lot. I haven't seen Terra Prime or anything past Babel so sorry if I'm a little wrong and the war they are referring to is the Romulan War that takes place around then. Not sure on the dates.

**_IOIOIO _**

Admiral Jonathon Archer looked out over the arriving Starfleet crew.

"Captain!" A young man snapped to attention smiling. "Oh! I mean, Admiral. Sorry. It's good to see you again sir." Archer looked at the smiling man's face and was reminded of a young Ensign fresh out of the academy called Ensign Prowler. He looked to be in his thirties now, god John felt old.

"Ensign Prowler, right?" The man beamed at being remembered.

"Yes Sir. I'm a Lieutenant Commander now, Chief Engineer on the Icarus."

"Captain Hayden, right?" The man nodded. "He's a fruitcake but a damn fine Captain."

"I tend to agree there sir. May I introduce my wife, Bridget?"

"Bridget Yale? The Maco?"

"I'm Bridget Prowler now, Sir. It's good to see you again." The well built woman who stood nearly ahead taller than the Ensign…Or Lt. Commander, shook his hand firmly and Archer had to swallow a laugh. Talk about the odd couple! He smiled, exchanged pleasantries and moved on, his eyes roaming the crowd restlessly.

_She's not here, John, she didn't come last year, or the year before, or the year before. She's holed up on Vulcan somewhere doing god only knows. Let it go_.

He shut away his inner voice as someone hugged him from behind.

"What the?"

"Hey John." He tried to turn but she moved with him.

"Hoshi?" He laughed, finally twisting around to see her and enveloping her in a bearhug. "It's been too long. What has it been now, five, six years? You haven't changed a bit." He tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear and she laughed.

"Something like that."

"Oi, Sir! Hands off my woman." A distinctly British accent said behind him teasingly and Malcolm moved into view holding a little girl in a blue dress. He wrapped an arm around Hoshi, smiling easily. He was so different form the uptight armoury officer he had served with. Being with a carefree spirit like Hoshi had done him some good.

"And who is this precious little angel?" John asked, smiling at the blue eyes little girl with dark curls who looked up at him sleepily, one thumb jammed firmly in her mouth.

"Go on hun, tell him." Malcolm urged and she smiled.

"Lizzy." The girl lisped adorably.

"When did that happen?" John asked, suddenly feeling _very_ old indeed.

"Three years, four months and a stretch mark the length of Chile ago." Hoshi said, stroking her daughters hair lovingly. "John is at home, he's only a year old."

"You've _two_ kids? Why wasn't I informed." Malcolm looked sheepish, almost as if he was afraid of reprimand.

"We commed you about it the first time but when John was born you had disappeared in the Neutral Zone." He explained hurriedly and John had to struggle not to laugh. Not such a different Malcolm after all.

"We named him after you because we thought you were dead." Hoshi said teasingly. "Then you had to turn up alive. So, any special ladies in your life?" John shook his head.

"I had a war on my hands, I was a little to busy for a social life." Lizzy chose that moment to throw a hissy fit and decided she wanted to go home. Malcolm, with a sympathetic smile, left to handle his pugnacious three year old.

"You're still pining, aren't you? John, you'll have to let her go."

"I'm not pining for anyone, Hoshi." He said with a reassuring smile, placing a hand on either shoulder. "Still, I'm going to have to come and meet this little John of yours. It's been too long, Hoshi." He pulled her into another hug before letting her move on and mingle.

"Pinkskin" With a wide grin Archer turned to face his friend and old nemesis.

"Shran!" They clapped wrists and Shran turned to introduce the two Andorians with him.

"I'd like you to meet Aral and Shojan. My eldest son and his lifemate.

"A pleasure." The young Andorian male stepped forward, taking his hand firmly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my father has told me many tales of how he has saved your life." John laughed suddenly.

"I hope he told you of the times I saved him back." Shran nodded to his son and he took his wife to the buffet table.

"It has been too long, Archer. Where is that Vulcan of yours?" He had meant it as a gentle ribbing but the flash of pain that crossed Archers face sent off warning bells. "She's all right, isn't she? I mean, I heard about Captain Tuckers death but…"

"T'pol? Oh, as far as I know she's fine. It was terrible what happened to Trip though. Who would have thought that you could cause a toilet to explode by rewiring the flushing manifold." Archer shook his head with a twist to his mouth.

"Indeed, from what I know of Tucker, he was a good man and it seemed to me like he would have liked to have gone out with a bang and not a whimper."

"…He really did go out with a bang, he blew a hole in the side of the Pegasus." Shran grabbed two glasses of champagne from the tray and handed one to Archer.

"To Captain Tucker." He said, raising the glass and knocking it back. Immediately he made a face. "This is awful, what do you call it?"

"Champagne."

"I'll never order it again, now where can you get some good old fashioned Andorian…" He trailed off, both his antennae shooting up as he laid eyes on something. "Admiral. I suggest you look to the stairs." John turned to face the stairs and looking up he saw Minister T'pau and Ambassador Soval descending the stairs, their fingers touching slightly in the two fingered caress he had seen Vulcan couples use before. A sort of kiss in public. But that was not what held his attention, behind them, descending the stairs with a tall Vulcan male was T'pol and for a while Archer forgot to breath. She looked stunning in a blue, body form dress that cut off mid thigh in a daring slash that carried to her opposite knee. The straps of the gown lay mid shoulder and it was the colour of a calm, Florida ocean on a summers day. In the six years since he had last seen her, she had let her hair grow and it was held back from her face in an ornate clip. She looked beautiful…no stunning.

"I don't know about you but I don't care if she's a Vulcan or not. I'd mate with her right here, right now." Shran said, knocking back a second champagne and screwing up his face. Archer ignored him, watching as T'pol scanned the crowd. Her gaze rested on him a moment before continuing on and Archer felt his heart plummet. Then the male Vulcan next to her bent to whisper something in her ear and T'pol smiled. Her mouth didn't move but her eyes took on a sort of sparkle that could light up room. The kind of smile Archer missed when he was having breakfast in the morning and thought of as he went to sleep at night.

He continued on, seeing Travis and Phlox who had a small clan of wives, children and grandchildren with him, Amanda Cole who, shockingly, was 'dating' a Vulcan student named Stakur. So many young men and women greeted him and he surprised himself by reciting everyone of their names, usually greeted by a laughing woman who corrected him on their last name due to recent events. So many non-Terran's mingled among them also and they knew Archer too. Who in the Federation didn't know it's founder, a name that would be remembered forever but he didn't care. The only person in the world he wanted to recognise him was pretending he didn't exist. He saw Hoshi briefly chat with her and she showed her daughter for approval. Funnily enough, T'pol seemed to take quite well to the role of carer and played briefly with the child. He watched her for the better part of the evening as various dignitaries wined and dined. It wasn't until late into the night when the music started that he decided to approach her.

"Hey T'pol." She turned to look at him, he face the mask she had worn every day on the Enterprise.

"Cap…Admiral Archer."

"T'pol, come on. We're not back to titles are we?" He asked with a smile and she amended her speech.

"John."

"T'pol. So how are you?"

"I am well…you?"

"No complaints…except maybe that the hair is greying." He ran a hand through his once dark hair causing her to notice to two slight wings of white beginning at the sides. "You grew your hair."

"Yes. I decided it was time for a change." He nodded, his fake smile still plastered on. "How is Porthos?" Archer smiled in earnest at her question.

"Still going and on the search for cheese. Hoshi told me you got some kind of pet."

"A Sehlat." T'pol informed him, taking a sip from the flute of champagne in her hand. If Archer didn't know better he'd say she was uncomfortable.

"Like one of those bears we saw!" Archer exclaimed, shocked. He thought she was joking when she said Vulcan's kept them as pets.

"…They are smaller." T'pol offered, watching as Malcolm and their daughter danced.

"A little…So. Who was the man I saw you enter with? Your husband?" T'pol smirked slightly, clearly amused by this comment.

"My brother."

"Oh!" Inside, his heart was doing back flips with joy, he decided to probe a little. "Your husband didn't come?"

"No." As T'pol took another sip of her drink, Archer's heart plummeted. "It would have been hard for him to come if he does not et exist."

"…Oh…" They watched the dancers again for several moments. "T'pol. Would you like to dance.

"No." There it was, the blunt refusal. He should have known it was coming and in such a direct way from a Vulcan.

"I see…" She looked over at him , her eyes soft.

"It is not that I would not like to, it is just that…"

"You can't dance?" He asked, a little more than amusement lining his voice.

"I've never tried." She said amended, watching them. "It does not look…easy." Archer held pout his hand.

"Don't worry, the man leads, just move with me." She stared at his hand a moment, unsure but when she looked up into his eyes she nodded and took it. Her hand was so much smaller than his and warmer to the touch and he delighted in the feel of her smooth skin.

"Okay, put your hand on my shoulder, there." He moved her hand and took her other with his, resting his remaining hand on her hip. "And…One, two, three, one two three." He set a fast pace around the floor and she stumbled slightly at first, unsure of where to put her feet, but soon picked up the rhythm. "There you go. Like a natural." She pulled away slightly, to look at her feet but he guided her back. "Ah, ah. No looking at your feet. Look at me." She looked up and gazed into his eyes. She hadn't changed at all. Untouched by time she still held the youthful beauty she had when they first met, even though she was now in her seventies. Her dark, brown eyes crackled with emotions foreign to him and John couldn't help but smile down at her, gratified to see her lips tilt in response. They danced for four or five songs like that, just gazing into each others eyes, moving to a rhythm of their own that dwindled to them just stepping in circles, held close to one another.

"I've missed you." He blurted out suddenly, unsure of where it came from but unable to stop it or look away from her eyes. So many conflicting emotions ran through her eyes but after a moment of silence she simply whispered.

"And I you." He pulled her closer so that no light could get through their bodies and she rested her head on his shoulder. For another, slow song, they danced like that.

"Why did you go?" He asked at last, dieing to know the answer.

"I had to." She whispered, her warm breath ghosting across his neck.

"You didn't _have_ to do anything." She raised her head, looking into his eyes.

"I did. I may not have wanted to leave you but I had to."

_Leave me?_

As a mark of how unrealistic the situation had become, he did not realise he had spoken aloud.

"Yes. There was little else for me to stay for."

"But you left."

"I had to."

"Why?" He hadn't meant it to sound so forceful, and she stepped back, the light flooding between them.

"I…I needed space."

"You have no idea how corny that sounds."

"…I don't." He smiled, trying to draw her back.

"Whatever happened is in the past we can't change that. You're back now…aren't you?"

"..If you want me." He smiled, resting his head on her shoulder, burying his face in her hair.

"T'pol…if only you knew." Her hand left his shoulder to move up his neck and to his face.

"John…I do. That was why I had to get away. I didn't know how to handle those kind of conflicting emotions."

"Why are you back?" He asked at last.

"…Because…I came here at the request of Ambassador Soval, I did not know you were going to be here but…I am…glad that you are." John smiled down at her, puling back.

"Why would Soval ask you here?"

"I have no idea, he said something about the road not taken." John smiled, he had lectured several diplomats on behaviour a few weeks back after a fight had broken out. Soval was one of these. And he remembered the old Vulcan protesting that he was merely sharing his opinion on the path of action they should have taken and did not instigate the violencem John's impassioned reply was somewhere along the lines of...

_"Sometimes you don't get another chance to walk down the road not taken. Rarely you get that chance and you're damn lucky that you do. Now, get out of my sight before I call security."_

Looking over at the older Vulcan, he stood with T'pau, watching them and he raised his glass.

"To the road not taken." He mouthed and Archer smiled.

Soval had just given him his second chance…and he was going to take it.

**_IOIOIO_**

A/N: Just a needlesly romantic one shot I wrote on the spur of the moment. I was tired and supposed to be studying for an English exam when the idea popped in my head. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think but any review along teh lines of 'Archer T'pol is so stupid 'cause Trip and T'pol are going to get together' will be ingored and / or deleted because it's pointless really. Plus in this fic trip had a toilet blow up in his face eliminating Archer's compition so NAH! Anyway, back to the point. Drop me a line and tell me what you think,you're just a blue button away from my happiness!


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